Cristiano Ronaldo's Classy Farewell To Buffon Makes It Really Hard To Hate Him

A poignant ciao from the Real Madrid man.

Rumoured to have been assembled in a footballing super lab, Cristiano Ronaldo proved his world-class pedigree once again last night by sending his Real Madrid side to an eighth consecutive Champions League semi-final.

Still, Ronaldo is less revered — and often scolded — by some fans for his lack of sportsmanship. But for Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon? He’ll make an exception, of course.

While Buffon — who had been earlier sent off in the match after vehemently protesting a penalty decision against his Juventus side — was busy telling a reporter that Michael Oliver should have been munching on a pack of Nik Naks instead of refereeing the all-important semi-final, Ronaldo interrupted the post-match interview to show an often unseen bout of personal class.

Ronaldo tapped Gigi on the arm before the two men embraced in a quick hug, with Ronnie even giving his counterpart a peck on the cheek. And if that doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, then you must have a bag of rubbish for a heart — or you probably go by the name of Michael Oliver.